SickKids Foundation

Moez Kassam and Marissa Siegal Kassam, through their Moez & Marissa Kassam Equity Fund, are demonstrating the power of strategic philanthropy. Their $15 million investment in The Hospital for Sick Children, inspired by the lifesaving care their daughter received, will transform paediatric critical care and advance the Hospital's vision of Healthier Children, A Better World. This is what impactful giving looks like. Let’s celebrate this incredible gift together.

Operation HOHOHO is officially all systems go! 💙 One of our most beloved holiday traditions is back, as members of the Canadian Armed Forces 400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron brought good cheer, hot cocoa, festive joy, and baked treats to SickKids staff today! They also made stops at the Emergency Department, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) to deliver care parcels to evening shift staff members. Thank you Canadian Armed Forces | Forces armées canadiennes for your ongoing support and to the hardworking staff who make The Hospital for Sick Children the special place it is!

Ali Hasan and Melissa Oliphant are co-chairs of the SickKids Action Committee at RBC Capital Markets.  The committee was formed last year as a way to engage RBC employees in workplace giving for SickKids year-round. Nine representatives from across the company meet monthly to plan fundraising events, inspire one another and share the important work The Hospital for Sick Children is doing to heal the future with their respective groups.  The sense of community (and sometimes even healthy competition), and tangible impact they’re making keeps them all motivated.  “We host fundraising events [at RBC] quite often, and [SickKids events] are by far the most well attended, most well reviewed, and the highest dollar amounts we raise. It’s truly remarkable what we’ve been able to accomplish, and we look forward to seeing how we can continue raising the bar.” - Ali “The RBC-CM Action Committee is a terrific group of volunteers – they share the impact of SickKids and help to fundraise for an important cause.  What started as a great way to live the values of RBC and work with senior leadership on something meaningful, has turned into good fun and a great way to find purpose.” - Diane Armes-Redrupp, SickKids Foundation  You don’t have to take on the load of being a SickKids Workplace Champion alone – if your team is interested in learning more about the program or how to start fundraising through your company’s employee giving program, visit: https://bit.ly/3YFP1Ar *When you support SickKids through your workplace this Giving Tuesday, check with your employer as your contribution may be matched!

Take a peek behind the curtain with the Black Experience @ SickKids collective! This week a group of dedicated donors joined us for an exclusive tour of The Hospital for Sick Children’s Sickle Cell Clinic with Haematology Section Head, Dr. Isaac Odame and Interactive 3D Printing Lab with Project Director of the Centre of Image Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention, Dr. Thomas Looi to see philanthropy, innovation and research in action.  Joined by the Associate Chief of Nursing, Bonnie Fleming-Carroll, Interprofessional Education Specialist, Elena Blackwood, and our own President and CEO Jennifer Bernard, donors heard first-hand how their support is helping SickKids champion the health of Black children and youth and ensuring our vision of healing the future actively includes the Black community. If you’d like to join us in this mission, or to learn more about the Black Experience @ SickKids collective, visit: https://bit.ly/3CYeqNa And thanks to our generous friends at Hydro One, every dollar you give to support the Black Experience @ SickKids will be matched 1:1, doubling the impact of your contribution up to $50,000. Matching gifts will support Black Nursing Student Awards and the Student Advancement Research (StAR) Program at SickKids. Don't miss your chance to make a difference and support nursing students and future health care leaders!

“I’ve had an incredible career in philanthropy, and I have the privilege of ending it at the greatest, I think, institution in Canada. And Precision Child Health is one of the things that attracted me [to SickKids Foundation]. It’s about changing the outcomes for all the kids that are left behind, using all the tools in our tool box. This is the campaign I’ve been waiting for my whole life.” Our President and CEO, Jennifer Bernard recently sat down with Trevor Cole for The Globe and Mail’s ‘Report on Business’ magazine to chat about the important role of philanthropy in Canada, non-profit sector trends and opportunities, the future of Precision Child Health at The Hospital for Sick Children, and the fine craft of cultivating and stewarding donors.  Find the story in The Globe and Mail’s ‘Report on Business’ magazine this weekend, or read the full interview here: https://tgam.ca/3ZdaTSV  Photo credit: Janice Reid (https://lnkd.in/gBaQzF79)

This is Iris Cohn, a pharmacist at SickKids. She’s one of the few in Canada to use patients’ genetic data to determine how they’ll react to certain drugs. It’s called pharmacogenetic testing, a precision tool that can determine the right drug and dose for each patient to maximize effectiveness and avoid serious side effects. Though most patients respond to medications as expected, some children are rapid metabolizers, which means they break the drug down too quickly and it has no effect. Others are slow metabolizers, so their body breaks down the drug too gradually, putting the patient at risk for serious side-effects. Analyzing certain genes can reveal this critical knowledge and help personalize prescriptions. Through #PrecisionChildHealth, Iris and her team at The Hospital for Sick Children are working to integrate pharmacogenetic testing into clinical care and help us treat smarter and even predict drug reactions. Precision medicine at its best. #SickKidsVS #SKHealTheFuture

Launching SickKidsWomenPowered was truly one of the proudest moments of my career. There were so many highlights including my good friend Jully Black sharing her personal SickKids story and wisdom from a life full of both struggle and triumph. She had us singing, hugging and crying. She is truly a Canadian treasure and icon. Julie Middleton, an amazing, resilient SickKids mom kicked things off. Through her tears, she shared how she was inspired by her daughter who is battling leukaemia to start her company that benefits kids across Canada. A big thank you to everyone that joined us. I hope you were as inspired as I was hearing from our passionate panelists and knowing we have the power to work together to support The Hospital for Sick Children and the children we care for. We have the ability to fulfill Elizabeth McMaster’s dream to “treat the children of tomorrow better than we treat the children of today.” We have the power to heal the future. That’s why our members will support The Hospital for Sick Children AND other charities that support our patients. Special shout out to our amazing host Angie Seth, Dr. Meredith Irwin, who is the first female Chief of Paediatrics at SickKids, Paediatric Respirologist Indra Narang Executive lead of EDI and health equity, Dr. Noma Dlamini, Director of the Children’s Stroke Program and, Judy Van Cleaf, VP, Clinical Operations and Chief Nursing Officer. We are in good hands. All of us at SickKids Foundation know that the efforts of women inside and outside our hospital are vital for keeping families and communities strong, connected and resilient. There is so much to do. I hope you will join us! For more information: https://bit.ly/4hZrDW7

The Kowalskys have taken “it runs in the family” to a whole new level. After Atley's blood sample was submitted for genetic testing at SickKids, he was diagnosed with Brugada syndrome. As was his dad. And his grandfather. Brugada syndrome is a rare, but potentially life-threatening, hereditary heart rhythm condition - which means the Kowalskys all rely on pacemakers. They've even created a handshake to recognize their special hearts. Since Atley's diagnosis, more than a dozen other family members have also been diagnosed with Brugada syndrome. #PrecisionChildHealth means The Hospital for Sick Children can extend health care beyond a single diagnosis and encourage families to manage their health together as we heal the future. 💙  #SKHealTheFuture #SickKidsVS

Welcome to SickKidsWomenPowered!    Last week we celebrated the launch of a brand-new era of women’s philanthropy at SickKids - a program that will truly move the dial on children’s health in a unique way.    From an impromptu performance by the incomparable Jully Black, and an engaging panel discussion moderated by journalist Angie Seth, featuring The Hospital for Sick Children leaders Jennifer Bernard, Indra Narang, Judy Van Clieaf, and Meredith Irwin, to an emotional moment with SickKids mom Julie Middleton, and a dynamic talk by Nomazulu Dlamini, we left inspired and ready for this exciting new chapter!     Thank you to our speakers, panelists and friends for joining us. We look forward to all we will accomplish together to heal the future.    SickKidsWomenPowered is an innovative, philanthropic approach where members pool their collective donations into a donor-advised fund, and proactively choose where a portion of the money they’ve donated goes. For more information: https://bit.ly/4hZrDW7  

Today, the Toronto Maple Leafs scored big at SickKids, bringing joy to patients and families.   Their visit, complete with mini stick decorating, was a true power play of kindness and community spirit. Thanks to our Buds for making a difference – and making our day! 🏒🌟